Duplomb Law: Public health becomes the adjustment variable for agro-industry

The law aimed at "lifting constraints on the practice of farming," which has just been passed in Parliament, illustrates how public health and environmental protection are being relegated to the status of adjustment variables for agribusiness. It demonstrates that a section of the political class—in this case, the alliance of the far right, the right, and the vast majority of centrist MPs—is subordinating the general interest to the imperatives of the market.

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What constraints did farmers need to be freed from? One of them was the ban on a neonicotinoid pesticide, acetamiprid, banned in France since 2018. This substance, which can cross the placental barrier, is strongly suspected of having toxic effects on the neurological development of the fetus and children, as well as on fertility. It decimates pollinating insects, is harmful to birds and aquatic life, and contaminates waterways due to its persistence—it is even found in rainwater.

The return of this pesticide is supposed to allow farmers to combat beet and hazelnut pests, against which they would otherwise be powerless. This exemption also aims to compensate for unfair competition, as acetamiprid is authorized until 2033 in other European countries. However, the facts contradict this justification. For sugar beet, France maintains the highest yields in the world (81 tonnes/hectare) and its